Kim Possible Unexpected Quarter
by Absentialuci
Summary: Sometimes even the hero needs to be rescued.


KIM POSSIBLE, RON STOPPABLE AND OTHERS ARE THE PROPERTY OF DISNEY AND THEIR RESPECTIVE ARTISTS

Drakken was dead. Blood seeped slowly from his body, now sprawled seemingly boneless beneath his latest doomsday weapon, before slowly gurgling down a recessed drain in the middle of the floor. Ron didn't notice. He stared down at his feet, marveling in equal parts at what he had just done, at the spackles of gore decorating his white sneakers, and trying to decide whether or not the feeling of morbid exultation coursing through his body were a suitable reaction to the taking of a human life. Ron held his hands in front of his face, watching them. They didn't shake. _Shouldn't they be shaking, _he wondered, _shouldn't I feel something?_ His hands remained still, refusing to pass judgment.

"_Where is she?!"_ _Ron shouted as he rappelled down from the shattered remains of the skylight. Drakken looked up at him from below, contempt twisting his lips into a rictus sneer. Ron's feet hit the concrete floor, hard, his knees bending to absorb the impact, "I said, Drakken, where is she?" Ron's voice was barely above a whisper, but carried better than a shout in the slightly musty air of the rock-hewn room. Drakken said nothing, but stepped to one side, the sneer still painting his face._

_Kim was tied to a support of the machine which occupied the center of the room. Her once luxurious red hair now hung lank and bodiless, weighed down by blood and dirt. The ropes binding her to the support didn't sag, even though Ron could see they were the only thing holding her upright. Her clothes were ripped and torn, the right sleeve of her shirt ripped almost completely away to expose the deep cuts furrowing her arm and upper ribs. Blood dripped down onto her dark green cargo pants, slowly turning them a deep brown. She looked dead._

Ron stepped away from Drakken's body, his sneakers squelching in the blood, eyes focused only on the woman still tied tightly to the steel beam. He suddenly stood before her, not remembering actually going over to her; only the red footprints leading across the room gave any sign he had walked there at all. Ron reached out, putting a hand under her chin and lifted it up, his other hand pushing away some of the red hair that had hung in front of her face. Snowflakes of dried blood were brushed off by his thumb as it slowly caressed her cheek, fluttering soundlessly to the floor.

_Drakken started to laugh, the sound seeming to not so much come from the man but from every corner of the room, as if the very walls were taking pleasure in what was happening. Drakken spoke, his usual voice replaced by a high and reedy tone, the voice of patient professor to a wayward student._

"_Did you think that I'd let you and she always triumph?" _

_Ron looked at him, not trusting his voice to not hitch in his throat._

"_You had to know one day the game would be played for keeps. That one day something like this would happen. For years, you have foiled my every scheme, my every plan, denied to me my every dream, my every desire. Look at her. Now whose dreams do we trod upon? Yours, Ron Stoppable, yours."_

_Ron opened his mouth to deny what Drakken was saying, but all that came out was a strangled, "How…?"_

"_I promised myself that I wouldn't monologue before you were beaten, too. But you are beaten, aren't you? You don't know if she's dead or not, and your fear and uncertainty defeats you for me." _

_Drakken stopped, letting the sneer drop off his face before he continued, _

"_I had long suspected that Shego was the weak link in my plans ever since she was temporarily turned good, but I never had any proof. She always played the faithful sidekick so very well, you see. I had her followed. She met with your Kim outside of Middleton, and gave her the plans to this lair as well as the details of my latest scheme. But it was a ruse. The plans she handed to Kim Possible were fakes, but Shego didn't know. When Shego got back, I had her detained immediately. It cost me most of my henchmen, but it was a small price to pay. I killed her for her disloyalty, but not before I had her send Kim Possible a message, begging to be rescued."_

_Drakken smiled at Ron, who had dropped to his knees on the floor, "I knew that Kimberly Anne Possible's own moral code wouldn't let her leave Shego to her fate. I knew Kimberly Anne Possible was loyal to a fault. Just like I knew that she wouldn't wait for you to get back from college to attempt the rescue, despite your being, at most, three hours away. _

"_I created a Synthodrone in Shego's image, and had her bound and placed in a cell. Kimberly did not disappoint, breaking in without being detected by either my security systems or my remaining guards. She almost got 'Shego' out before the Synthodrone shocked her into unconsciousness. After that, well, we had our fun…"_

Ron reached behind his back and pulled the knife off his belt, the tempered steel blade easily cutting through the rope that bound Kim to the support. He caught her gently as she fell forward into his arms. He lay her down slowly, placing her head in his lap. He quickly removed his Nomex gloves, for it suddenly seemed the most important thing in the world to feel her skin again, to touch her.

Her cheeks were cool, but flushed. His fingers left clean trails in the blood as they gently traced the contours of her face. He leaned over her, listening to her breathe. Her eyelids fluttered spasmodically and she squinted up at him. Even though they were barely open, Ron could see that one of her brilliant emerald eyes was completely red with blood, but the other tracked his face normally. Her lips twitched into a small smile, her legs feebly pushing her further into his warm embrace.

_"She screamed for you, you know. Even with her own death before her, she could think of nothing, no one but you. She lost consciousness with your name on her lips," The sneer reappeared on Drakken's blue face, "She might even be dead. I didn't bother to check. But you won't know until you stop me, Ron Stoppable, and if you don't then when I activate the Singularity Cannon she'll be dead for cert-"_

_Drakken's words cut off abruptly as Ron's fist collided with his jaw. Drakken rocketed backwards off his feet, hitting the control console of the Cannon with a harsh metallic sound. Ron stood before him, the blue aura of his Mystical Money Powers pulsing off him. He started to stalk forward to where Drakken lay, flexing his hands in time to his heart-beat._

_Blood poured from Drakken's mouth and pattered down onto the brushed steel of the Singularity Cannon's control console as he pulled himself up from the floor. Drakken turned around, keeping his right hand over the activation button of the Cannon and smiled at Ron. "One more step and I activate the Cannon, and dear sweet Kimberly Anne is guaranteed to be dead."_

_Ron stopped. Drakken continued to smile through a mouthful of broken teeth, oblivious to the amount of blood pouring out of his mouth. Kim cried out weakly. Drakken turned to look and Ron was on him. Grabbing a handful of hair, Ron smashed Drakken's face into the console so hard it dented the steel. The blood from Drakken's jaw was joined by that of numerous other cuts and contusions. Drakken's struggles grew steadily weaker as Ron smashed his head into the unforgiving steel console again, and again, and again... _

_Every bit of fear for Kim, rage at himself for having failed her and hate for Drakken poured out of Ron as he relentlessly beat the supervillain to death against his own device. Drakken had long since quit struggling by the time Ron released him, breathing hard. Ron watched dispassionately as Drakken's body slumped to the floor at his feet. Blood began to pool on the ground._

Ron gazed down at her, drinking in every detail. She had always been the hero, the one who knew what to do and when, the one who had it all under control. And he had always loved her. Even now, broken and bleeding, she was beautiful to him.

"Hey." It was barely a whisper, but Ron heard it as though she shouted.

He smiled down at her, "Hey yourself."

She twisted her head to one side, spying Drakken's cooling body. Tears welled in her eyes suddenly, "Ron, I'm so sorry…"

Ron reached down and, with exquisite gentleness, wiped her eyes with the back of his thumb. "It's all right, KP. I have you."

He kissed her then, hard and fierce. She pushed back against his lips. After several moments, they came apart, both breathing heavy.

"What happened?"

"I thought you were dead, and I knew that the blame lay with him…" Ron gave a small, embarrassed shrug.

Kim nodded and sighed contentedly, letting Ron wrap her in his jacket to protect against the cold outside. She continued to stare up at him. He looked down at her as he stood up, carrying her in his arms.

"I love you, KP."

"I love you too, Ron."

Neither one looked back as they left.


End file.
